Tom Laidlaw

Thomas John "Tom" Laidlaw is a contestant from Survivor: Island of the Idols.

The first Canadian to play Survivor, Tom initially found himself on the outs on Day 1, but managed to integrate himself into the Lairo tribe, allowing him to make it to the Tribe Switch. After losing the first Immunity Challenge after the switch, however, Tom was voted out by the original Vokai majority on the new Lairo tribe, believing that he had the strongest connections with his original tribe.

Profile[]

Retrieved from CBS.com

Age: 60
Hometown: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Current residence: Greenwich, Connecticut
Occupation: Former NHL Player
Hobbies: Watching Survivor, anything fitness, and hanging with the people I love.
Pet peeves: People driving slow in the fast lane.
Three words to describe you: Disciplined, dedicated, and stubborn.
What accomplishment are you most proud of? Raising my two sons to be strong, independent men.
Who or what is your inspiration in life? My grandfather. My grandmother was in a wheelchair most of her life. He took care of her until she died, and he died shortly after.
What's one thing we wouldn't know from seeing a photo of you? I don't like heights.
Which Survivor contestant are you most like? Ben the Marine, he did whatever he had to.
What's your primary motivation for being on Survivor? The challenge and desire to win.
Why do you think you'll "survive" Survivor? I know how to build an alliance and win challenges and then do whatever it takes to win.^[2]

Survivor[]

Tom was honest about his past as a professional hockey player, and he immediately proved to be a dedicated worker. Though this resulted in him, Elaine, and Vince being initially isolated by Ronnie, Tom's alliance with Elaine would prove crucial. Her women's alliance as well as Tom and Vince's votes were enough to secure the votes to blindside Ronnie on Day 3. Though Tom didn't push the strategic game too hard beyond wanting to keep Lairo strong, he remained well connected within the tribe as various plans brewed. Vince attempted to target Tom on Day 8, thinking he had the women's alliance on his side, but Tom was in little realistic danger. Tom hindered his relationship with Karishma by commenting on her weakness in challenges on multiple occasions, particularly at Tribal Council.

This strained relationship would be a major factor in Tom's struggles after the tribe swap. Tom immediately targeted Karishma following her poor showing at the Reward Challenge. In turn, Karishma revealed Tom and Dean's closeness to the former Vokai members. Tom formed a friendship with Janet, assuring to her that he would remain loyal. Janet was convinced, but also concerned that if Tom made the merge, he would reunite with his Lairo allies on the other tribe. This possibility made Tom more dangerous than Karishma was a challenge liability, so the original Vokai contingent spearheaded the plan to vote out Tom 5-2 on Day 14.

Episode	Tribe Affiliation	Challenge	Challenge Type	Sit-Out?	Result
1	Lairo	Tower of Equality	Reward/Immunity	No	Lost
2		Rung O Star	Reward/Immunity	No	Won
3		Beam Me Up	Reward/Immunity	No	Lost
4		Ow Pairs	Reward/Immunity	No	Lost
5		Headlong Flight	Reward	No	Lost
5		Discography	Immunity	No	Lost
Voted Out, Day 14

Episode	Tom's Votes	Voted Against Tom
1	Ronnie	-
2	Lairo Tribe Immune
3	Karishma	Vince
4	Chelsea	-
5	Karishma	Jack, Jamal, Janet, Karishma, Kellee
Voted Out, Day 14

Post-Survivor[]

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Trivia[]

Tom was previously approached to compete on The Amazing Race as a part of a team of former NHL players, but was unable to find a partner to compete with.^[3]
Tom is the oldest contestant to compete on Island of the Idols.
Tom is the first Canadian native to appear on Survivor.
- Kel Gleason lived in Canada, while Todd Herzog had Canadian citizenship, though both were born in the United States.
- Tom is also the first Old Stock Canadian to appear on Survivor.
Tom lost 27 lbs. during his time on Island of the Idols.^[4]